This cartoon accurately describes what I have been going through this week. Recent upgrades of the Mac OS-X Operating System and the Adobe CS6 suite of software that I use for this newsletter have forced me to learn how to program (or author) using "CSS" or Cascading Style Sheets. About 22 years ago I took a course in how to program web pages at a state college in Florida. The Internet was relatively new back then (outside of academia & government) and web pages were programmed using just "HTML" or Hyper Text Markup Language. Later when CSS came out, I didn't bother to learn it because I was able to do everything I wanted to do with HTML.

Well . . . the newer releases of my main software program Adobe Dreamweaver stopped supporting the selection of thefont in a web page using HTML so I have been learning CSS all week. CSS has become the de facto standard on the Internet, along with some remaining HTML and it is very complicated. I don't think any of the many, many changes this week will be obvious to you since they are all "behind the scenes." If you notice anything that doesn't look right please let me know. The standard font that I use (Verdana) may be a little smaller now—depending on how you have your browser set. [I made the font larger at a reader's request.]

VERIZON WANTS TO DUMP RURAL CUSTOMERS?

Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam recently told a Wall Street investor audience that Verizon’s future earnings and focus should be primarily on the wireless side of the business [... and] clearly signaled the company is laying the groundwork to abandon its rural phone network (and DSL broadband) as soon as regulators allow. Read more about it below in the BloostonLaw Telecom Update.

Google Fiber challenges big cable in Kansas City

By Jason KennedyTechHive Thursday, July 26, 2012 4:00 PM

It’s been some months since cities across the United States threw in their bids to become the first city that Google lit up with insanely-fast broadband. Google named Kansas City the “winner” of Google Fiber—and a bit more, as Google announced something extra: TV service.

Google is working to build a broadband network that's capable of reaching gigabit (1000-megabit) speeds. To put that into context, Google Fiber would be approximately 200 times faster than the 5-megabit pipe in my office. That’s relatively insane, as these things go.

There are three tiers to Google Fiber. The first, of course, is Gigabit + TV . It includes “hundreds of channels [and] tens of thousands of shows on demand” in HD. This option lets you record 8 different shows simultaneously, and comes with 2TB of DVR storage. You read that correctly: two terabytes . If that’s not enough, Google is throwing in a brand-new Nexus 7 tablet —just to act as your remote. Google promises no bandwidth caps, and this service costs you a flat fee of $120 per month, with free installation.

Not a good enough deal? Maybe you don’t want to record 8 simultaneous repeats of Jersey Shore at once? There's also the Gigabit Internet option : for $70 per month, you get gigabit broadband, a Wi-Fi router, and 1TB of cloud storage on Google Drive. Yeah, I’m totally not kidding.

If $70 is still too much for your budget, Google has one more pitch for you: how about some Internet for free? If you pre-register with Google to get your fiber installed, Google will install a 5-megabit-per-second connection to your home for no monthly charge . Pay the $300 installation fee ($25 a month if you prefer) and get browsing.

Has Google just turned the entire broadband Internet sector on its head. Is this going to be seriously disruptive to the TV and broadband Internet industries? If this is a precursor of what’s to come from Google as they roll out fiber nationwide, I don’t even know what to say. This could change everything. That's a bit "if." So far, Google is simply testing this service out in Kansas City, and hasn't even gotten that done yet—it's asking people in the city to pre-register by September 9th, before it breaks out the backhoe. The difference between deploying in a test market and seriously challenging an industry nationwide is a matter of enormous scale and hundreds of thousands of workers.

From an analytical standpoint, what do you think Google will do to pay for this? For me, I’m expecting to see more ads while you browse. Google’s main revenue is via ads in search, and I expect this kind of penetration into the home will be no exception (as well as keeping your Internet experience inside of Google’s umbrella).

This is a weekly newsletter about Wireless Messaging. You are receiving this because I believe you have requested it. This is not a SPAM. If you have received this message in error, or you are no longer interested in these topics, please click here then click on "send" and you will be promptly removed from the mailing list.

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About Us

A new issue of The Wireless Messaging Newsletter is posted on the web each week. A notification goes out by e-mail to subscribers on most Fridays around noon central US time. The notification message has a link to the actual newsletter on the web. That way it doesn't fill up your incoming e-mail account.

There is no charge for subscription and there are no membership restrictions. Readers are a very select group of wireless industry professionals, and include the senior managers of many of the world's major Paging and Wireless Messaging companies. There is an even mix of operations managers, marketing people, and engineers — so I try to include items of interest to all three groups. It's all about staying up-to-date with business trends and technology. I regularly get readers' comments, so this newsletter has become a community forum for the Paging, and Wireless Messaging communities. You are welcome to contribute your ideas and opinions. Unless otherwise requested, all correspondence addressed to me is subject to publication in the newsletter and on my web site. I am very careful to protect the anonymity of those who request it.

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Editorial Opinion pieces present only the opinions of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of any of advertisers or supporters. This newsletter is independent of any trade association.

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Consulting Work

Last week I was asked to join a team of consultants evaluating a strange case of radio interference at a public safety installation in Trenton, Illinois. The source of the interference turned out to be something that I had investigated years ago and thought had been resolved by improvements in technology. In the next few weeks I will be publishing a complete report from the team with all the technical details. Our team leader is Ira Wiesenfeld, Consulting Engineer, and Registered Professional Engineer. Ira is not only a colleague but a good friend as well. I expect our collaborative report to be very interesting. I hate to “steal his thunder” but everyone needs to know ASAP that some of the new solid-state ballasts that are used in fluorescent lightning can make any pager or radio in the nearby area go deaf and dumb.

Just in case you would like to see my consulting brochure; it is here . I would be glad to help you with a project, and maybe save you some time and money. I have managed to learn a few things from 55 years of experience in radio communications.

Serialized Tracking through PSSI’s proprietary Work-In-Process (WIP) and shop floor management system PSS.Net. This system allows PSSI to track each product received by employee, work center, lot, model, work order, serial number and location, tracking parts allocated, service, repair and refurbishment actions through each stage of the reverse logistics process. Access to order status and repair reports can be transmitted electronically in formats like FTP, EDI, API, XML or CSV.

Expertise , PSSI’s executive team has 125+ years of industry experience.

Mobile data growth rate to decrease by 2015? Doubtful.

Jul 25, 2012 - 10:48AM PTBY Kevin C. Tofel

After rising eightfold through the next several years, the mobile data demand growth rate is set to slow says ABI Research. Wi-Fi offload will help, but there are two flaws with ABI’s forecast: Globally, feature phones still reign and our reliance on the cloud will grow.

The mobile data tsunami we've watched build over the past five years will crest in 2015 and the world will consume a whopping 107 exabytes through mobile networks in 2017. But the demand wave will grow slower in 2015, ABI research said on Wednesday, because “needless burden” on cellular networks will be addressed through Wi-Fi offload and smarter devices that can take advantage of free hotspots.

Although ABI predicts that monthly mobile data use is expected to jump eight-fold in the next five years, the rate of growth after such time will slow:

“It looks like 2015 will be the last year when the traffic volume will grow by more than 50% annually. And that will happen despite of the fact that the monthly average per wireless subscriber, worldwide, will increase to almost 1.5 gigabytes by the end of our forecasting period.”

Wireless offload is a topic we've addressed here many times in the past; there are definitely huge opportunities to reduce mobile data demand by supplementing mobile networks with Wi-Fi. The wireless industry is starting to embrace this solution, but it isn't expected to account for a huge demand reduction for cellular data: Cisco estimates that only 22 percent of mobile traffic will flow through Wi-Fi in 2016, for example.

Like Cicso, I suspect ABI is over-estimating the effect of Wi-Fi offload, but that’s only half of the equation. There’s simply no reason to believe that the rate for mobile data demand will decrease starting in 2015. Here’s why:

First, we’re still a world of low- to no-data required feature phones. With roughly 7 billion people on the planet, only 16 percent at the end of last year had a smartphone, estimates Tomi Ahonen. Far fewer have tablets. But in the next three years, the overall user base for data is sure to grow as smartphones decline in price and network infrastructure improves worldwide. That means more demand for some time to come in my opinion.

Second is the problem of “not knowing what we don’t know.” By that, I mean we simply can’t predict what mobile device activities will require data, nor how much of it. We’re moving from email to social networking apps and local video to sharing or downloading digital media over wireless networks.

Simply put: Our reliance on the mobile Internet is only just beginning and the web-based activities three years from now can’t be determined. Again, Cisco seems to agree, suggesting that cloud services and apps will account for nearly three-quarters of mobile broadband use by 2016.

Without a doubt, Wi-Fi offload will help matters. But we have so few solutions trying to combat a near-infinite number of mobile use cases — many we haven’t yet envisioned — for us to assume that mobile demand will slow three years from now.

Heathkit Declares Bankruptcy, Closes for Good (Again)

07/24/2012The July 19 edition of The Herald-Palladium — a newspaper serving the communities of Benton Harbor and St Joseph, Michigan — is reporting that Heathkit Education Company has declared bankruptcy and has officially closed its doors after defaulting on its lease. According to the paper, Heathkit employed more than 1800 people in its heyday after World War II; when it finally closed, its workforce totaled fewer than six people. This is the second time since 1992 that Heathkit Educational Services has shuttered its doors. In August 2011, Heathkit announced it was returning to the kit building business , and in September, that it would once again be manufacturing Amateur Radio kits .

Heathkit owner Don Desrochers told the newspaper that he has filed for bankruptcy and a bank now owns what’s left of Heathkit; the bank is disposing of some items via online auctions. “The situation was purely one of the economy,” he explained in the article. “Heathkit was primarily dependent upon federal and state funding for schools. Spending in education continued to drop down, and it was economically unfeasible to continue operating. When we got back into the kit business, we were losing the education business faster than we were growing the kit business. It was not sustainable.”

According to the newspaper, Heathkit abandoned its lease around March, and in May, Phil Maki said he received notice that Desrochers had declared bankruptcy and that Heathkit would be closed. Maki is treasurer of Southshore Companies, the company that owns the building that Heathkit had leased a portion of. “It’s a sad thing for the community,” Maki said. “A lot of us grew up using Heathkit products, and it’s sad they ended the way they did.”

In May 2012, the ARRL reported there were rumors of the company’s demise, but nothing was certain. Tom Ferriter, of Technical Education Products in Hampden, Massachusetts, told the ARRL at that time that “Heathkit is telling us [outside sales representatives] that they have temporarily closed, but that they are hopeful that they will be able to reorganize. While they’re not telling us too much, they did say that they were having poor sales for a myriad of reasons and are hopeful that they will be able to refinance the company and negotiate with the bank to refinance some of the debt.”

Desrochers — who served as Heathkit’s President and Chief Executive Officer from 1995-2000 before purchasing the company in 2005 — told The Herald-Palladium that closing Heathkit was hard for him: “It was a tough decision, but you can’t operate and lose money. Hopefully the employees will find other employment. They were great, loyal employees for a long time.” — Thanks to The Herald-Palladium for the information and to Lee Lull, WR8R, for bringing this to our attention

Brad Dye, Ron Mercer, Allan Angus, and Vic Jackson are friends and colleagues who work both together and independently, on wireline and wireless communications projects. Click here for a summary of their qualifications and experience. They collaborate on consulting assignments, and share the work according to their individual expertise and their schedules.

Oakland police radios fail during Obama visit

Medical marijuana advocates march in downtown Oakland. President Obama gave a speech at the Fox Theater during a fundraising stop in downtown Oakland, CA Monday July 23rd, 2012 Photo: Michael Short, Special To The Chronicle / SF

A major portion of Oakland's troubled police radio system failed shortly after President Obama's visit on Monday, leaving many of the 100 officers assigned to handle presidential security unable to communicate as protesters roamed the streets, police said Wednesday.

"The guys downtown couldn't talk to one another," said Barry Donelan, head of the Oakland Police Officers Association.

"It was a train wreck," said Lt. Fred Mestas, who was on duty downtown during and after Obama's speech at a fundraiser at the Fox Theater.

Police said officers were suffering sporadic communications problems throughout the time Obama was inside the Fox on Telegraph Avenue, as well as before and afterward.

"That lasted about 30 minutes," Mestas said. "When you have the president there, 30 seconds is too long."

Problems worsen The communications issues became severe around 10 p.m., about an hour after Obama left Oakland, city officials said. At that point, police were keeping an eye on demonstrators who had protested during Obama's visit and lingered after he left, occasionally blocking streets. The protests proved to be largely peaceful.

"Any radio failure puts officers at risk, but this was a critical situation to provide safety and security for the president and the public," said Donelan, whose union has been outspoken about the radio system's problems.

The year-old system has been plagued by breakdowns and dead zones that have left officers' digital radios prone to blackouts across the city and in most commercial buildings, including the basement of police headquarters. A city-hired consultant said last week that the system was not up to urban standards.

Regional option The city has so far rejected joining forces with an Alameda-Contra Costa counties regional authority composed of 40 other police and firefighting agencies that is building its own radio system. City Administrator Deanna Santana said she needs to know more about the costs and benefits of the regional network before recommending to the City Council whether to drop Oakland's system.

Oakland paid $18 million for the radio system when it became operational last year, largely using grant money. The city built it in consultation with the Richmond office of Dailey and Wells, the local representative for the radio system manufacturer, Harris Corp. of Florida.

According to city officials, the problems Monday night were caused by the failure of a cooling unit used on a transmission tower at Gwin Reservoir in the Oakland hills. The tower overheated, causing "severe" communications problems after 10 p.m., said Sgt. Chris Bolton, chief of staff for Police Chief Howard Jordan. The problem was diagnosed by about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Fixed next day Karen Boyd, spokeswoman for the city, said the unit was less than 6 months old and that the vendor, Emerson Network Systems, "took full responsibility" for the breakdown.

The cooling unit was replaced by midday, but service was not fully restored until about 6 p.m. Tuesday, Bolton said. In the meantime, officers in and around downtown continued to have communications problems.

Bolton said he was on duty Monday night and was among those who had trouble contacting fellow officers. "Obviously, we want a reliable radio system," he said.

Donelan called the police radio network "inadequate."

"It's touch and go every day with this system," Donelan said. "It just happened that one of the antennas went down when the president of the United States was here."

Regional system Bill McCammon, executive director of the regional authority building its own network, said city officials reached out to him the day after Obama's visit and want to meet next week about the inter-agency system, which will be fully functional in September.

"We're eager to work with them," McCammon said.

Pleasant Hill Police Chief Pete Dunbar, a former Oakland police officer who is on the regional system's board, said he hopes the episode will help persuade the city to join its neighbors' transmission network.

"When you have the president of the United States in town and your system goes down," he said, "you wonder what could happen next."

Dunbar added, "These stories (about failures) go on and on. But for the grace of God, nobody has gotten hurt. But if you keep this up, it's just a matter of time."

WIRELESS NETWORK PLANNERS LLCWIRELESS SPECIALISTS

Hacking experts find new ways to attack Android phones

Reuters, July 26, 2010

By Jim Finkle LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Hacking experts have demonstrated ways to attack Android smartphones using methods they said work on virtually all such devices in use today, despite recent efforts by search engine giant Google to boost protection.

Experts showed off their prowess at the Black Hat hacking conference in Las Vegas, where some 6,500 corporate and government security technology workers gathered to learn about emerging threats to their networks.

"Google is making progress, but the authors of malicious software are moving forward," said Sean Schulte of Trustwave's SpiderLabs.

Google spokeswoman Gina Scigliano declined to comment on the security concerns or the new research.

Accuvant researcher Charlie Miller demonstrated a method for delivering malicious code to Android phones using a new Android feature known as near field communications.

"I can take over your phone," Miller said.

Near field communications allow users to share photos with friends, make payments or exchange other data by bringing Android phones within a few centimeters of similarly equipped devices such as another phone or a payment terminal.

Miller said he figured out how to create a device the size of a postage stamp that could be stuck in an inconspicuous place such as near a cash register at a restaurant. When an Android user walks by, the phone would get infected, said Miller.

He spent five years as a global network exploit analyst at the U.S. National Security Agency, where his tasks included breaking into foreign computer systems.

"WILD WEST"

Miller and another hacking expert, Georg Wicherski of CrowdStrike, have also infected an Android phone with a piece of malicious code that Wicherski unveiled in February.

That piece of software exploits a security flaw in the Android browser that was publicly disclosed by Google's Chrome browser development team, according to Wicherski.

Google has fixed the flaw in Chrome, which is frequently updated, so that most users are now protected, he said.

But Wicherski said Android users are still vulnerable because carriers and device manufacturers have not pushed those fixes or patches out to users.

Marc Maiffret, chief technology officer of the security firm BeyondTrust, said: "Google has added some great security features, but nobody has them."

Experts say iPhones and iPads don't face the same problem because Apple has been able to get carriers to push out security updates fairly quickly after they are released.

Two Trustwave researchers told attendees about a technique they discovered for evading Google's "Bouncer" technology for identifying malicious programs in its Google Play Store.

They created a text-message blocking application that uses a legitimate programming tool known as java script bridge. Java script bridge lets developers remotely add new features to a program without using the normal Android update process.

Companies including Facebook and LinkedIn use java script bridge for legitimate purposes, according to Trustwave, but it could also be exploited maliciously.

To prove their point, they loaded malicious code onto one of their phones and remotely gained control of the browser. Once they did that, they could force it to download more code and grant them total control.

"Hopefully Google can solve the problem quickly," said Nicholas Percoco, senior vice president of Trustwave's SpiderLabs. "For now, Android is the Wild West."

HARK—EXHIBITS AT CONFERENCE

David George and Bill Noyesof Hark Technologies.

Hark Technologies

September 11 - 13 — Elite Hotel Marina Tower — Stockholm, Sweden

Hotel Reservations - Deadline: August 11

The Elite Hotel Marina Tower is in one of the most beautiful locations in Stockholm. The hotel has views of the inner islands of Stockholm's famous archipelago as well as Old Town. The boat line between the hotel and the city takes about 10 minutes and gives you the opportunity to see and experience Stockholm.

Early Registration - Deadline: August 11 Registration for members is $350 before August 11. This includes a dinner cruise of the Stockholm archipelago on the M/S Blue Charm boat.

Introductions and Smartphone Applications Facilitator: Derek Banner, EMMA ChairmanThis session will provide an opportunity for you to introduce yourself and your company and to learn about others in attendance. You will also be asked to contribute to an overview of Smartphone applications currently being developed and deployed or in which you have an interest.

11:30 am - 12:15 pm

Repositioning of Paging to Critical Messaging Thomas Brenemark, Vice President, Storakers McCannPaging operators face a market perception of outdated, obsolete, and unnecessary products which makes it hard for even the users who need the product to justify it. Learn to create a reborn value perception by repositioning from paging to something more critical. This session will focus on the strategy behind this move with examples from repositioning of the common Swedish paging word minicall to critical messaging.

12:15 pm - 1:30 pm

Group Lunch

1:30 pm - 2:15 pm

Mobile Heartbeat: Application Suite to Enhance ClinicalCoordination and Communication Ted McNaught, COO, Critical Alert SystemsCritical Alert Systems has formed an exclusive partnership with Mobile Heartbeat as its sole distributor within the Critical Messaging space. Mobile Heartbeat has developed a mobile communication system designed to improve the quality of patient care by enhancing communications among clinicians and providing instant access to critical patient information, alerts, and notifications by leveraging a standard smartphone's functionality. The result is improved mobility and communication efficiency, keeping the team connected, informed, and patient-focused.

Cardiac Arrest is the major cause of death in Europe and America. Time to CPR is crucial and ambulance care is not fast enough. The Mobile Lifesaver Project shows how volunteers arrive faster than the ambulance to give proper help in approximately 50% of all ambulance call-outs. Lives are saved.

3:00 pm - 3:45 pm

Critical Messaging - Helping the RNLI Save Lives at Sea Alex Marshall, Operations Manager - Com, Nav & Surveillance SystemsThis presentation will examine how the RNLI utilises critical communications and messaging to save lives at sea around the UK and Ireland. The future of critical messaging within the RNLI will also be examined together with technology and user-architectural concepts.

Critical Messaging in Local and National Crisis Management Lars Hedström, Director Crisis Management, University for DefenseInternational experience from crisis management and live situations both locally and internationally. Messaging is always an integrated part, and often critical.

9.45 am - 10:15 am

World's Firefighters and Critical Messaging: A Number ofCommon Issues Ralf Ackermann, Head of Security and Health for OffenbachDistrict in HessenThe CTIF is the international body of approximately five million fire fighters in 39 states, particularly in Europe, the USA, and Russia. Dr. Ralf Ackermann, one of the world's most experienced fire fighting professionals and current President of the CTIF, will provide an overview of the association and how organizations may collaborate with CTIF.

10:15 am - 11:00 am

Will Critical Messaging Ever Have an Encrypted Solution? Yes! Panel DiscussionHealthcare providers have been asking for a secure critical messaging solution for years now. Currently many manufacturers are actively marketing their solutions. Learn what options are currently available including the AES 128 Encryption Solution, which meets the HIPPA demands and can withstand the harsh environment of the Public Safety market.

11:00 am - 11:30 am

The Importance of SMS Messaging within UK Education Chris Jones, CEO, PageOneFrom critical messaging campus alerts to pedagogical e-learning, SMS is playing a key role in UK education today. Find out how PageOne's text service is helping an increasing number of educational institutions use SMS messaging as an important means of interaction between teachers, students, and parents.

11.30 am - 12:15 pm

Beyond Survival, Critical Messaging is Thriving in Ireland Dan Kiely, CEO, VoxProWith the closure of Vodafone's paging system in Ireland, came opportunities that VoxPro has capitalized on. Despite the country's depressed economic state, VoxPro is hoping to build a third facility and continues to expand and grow.

12:30 pm

Conference conclusion Derek Banner, EMMA & Ted McNaught, CMA

Source:

CMA (Critical Messaging Association)

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Secondary Features Supporting Public Safety and Healthcare

Selected portions of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, a newsletter from the Law Offices of Blooston, Mordkofsky, Dickens, Duffy & Prendergast, LLP are reproduced in this section with the firm's permission.

FCC Seeks Comment On Impact of Derecho Storm

The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau has issued a Public Notice requesting information relevant to the June 29 “derecho,” the storm that left millions of people from the Midwest to the mid-Atlantic without electrical power and/or communications services (BloostonLaw Telecom Update, July 11). The FCC said that the storm had a significant adverse effect on communications services generally and 9-1-1 facilities particularly. From isolated breakdowns in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania, to systemic failures in northern Virginia and West Virginia, the FCC said that it appears that a significant number of 9-1-1 systems and services were partially or completely down for several days. Comments in this PS Docket No. 11-60 proceeding are due August 17, and replies are due September 4.

The Bureau seeks comment on the background, causes, and restoration efforts related to communications services and facilities impacted directly or indirectly by the storm and after. It seeks to develop a complete and accurate record of all the facts surrounding the outages during this storm as well as outages resulting from natural disasters in order to evaluate the overall resiliency and reliability of our Nation’s 9-1-1 systems and services. It also seeks comment on the impact these outages had on the various segments of the public, including consumers, hospitals, and public safety entities.

The Bureau’s review is also intended to further develop the record in the Commission’s ongoing examination of issues in the April 2011 notice of inquiry (NOI) on the resiliency, reliability and continuity abilities of communications network, including broadband technologies, and comments received in response to this Public Notice will become part of the record of the NOI. In that proceeding, the Commission initiated a comprehensive examination of these issues with the goal of determining what action, if any, the Commission should take to ensure that the Nation’s communications infrastructure is as reliable as possible and able to continue to function in times of emergency. In its NOI, the Commission also focused on 9-1-1 reliability and stated that “[p]eople dialing 9-1-1, whether using legacy or broadband-based networks, must be able to reach emergency personnel for assistance; and when networks dedicated to public safety be-come unavailable, first responders must have access to commercial communications, including broadband technologies, to coordinate their rescue and recovery efforts.”

The Bureau now seeks comment on the following issues:

Causes of Outages. What were the specific causes of the outages that occurred during or after the storms? Which network elements and components, such as Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) trunks, Internet-Protocol (IP) broadband access lines, databases and PSTN switches, were out of service and for how long?

Effect on 9-1-1 Systems and Services . What could be done to improve the reliability of the 9-1-1 network when faced with storms like the derecho or other threats? Are there actions the FCC should take to improve the reliability of 9-1-1 services during strong storms like this? What actions should communications service providers take? Are there actions that communications service providers and/or PSAPs should take to improve the 9-1-1-restoration process? What, if anything, can the FCC do to better assist communications service providers and PSAPs in the restoration process?

Effect of 9-1-1 Outages. What impact did the 9-1-1 out-ages have on the public? For example, how were consumers affected? How did the outages affect the ability of public safety officials to perform their duties? How was the public alerted of the 9-1-1 outages and what alternatives were provided? How effective were these alternatives? To what extent was social media used to spread the word about the 9-1-1 outages and alternatives? What impact did the 9-1-1 outages have on other sectors of the user community, including businesses and providers of critical services, such as hospitals?

Effect of Communications Outages on Access to 9-1-1 Services. Outages in the 9-1-1 network itself are only one way that users can be denied access to 9-1-1 services. For example, if the PSAP is operational and the 9-1-1 network is functioning, users in a local area will still be unable to reach the PSAP if they lack access to the communications network due to a local outage. To what extent did users find that the general unavailability of communications service impaired their ability to access 9-1-1 service? In these instances, were multiple methods of reaching the PSAP available, like cell phones or other types of communications services? How effective were these alternative communications services in over-coming outages affecting one access platform? What should be done to improve the diversity of access to 9-1-1 services so that communications outages are less likely to result in an inability to access 9-1-1?

The 9-1-1 communications failures experienced as a result of the derecho also give rise to concerns and questions about the reliability and resiliency of the 9-1-1 communications networks nationwide, particularly in the event of a severe weather or other type of high-impact natural disaster. The Bureau seeks comment on how 9-1-1 communications have fared during other recent natural disaster events. Commenters are asked to describe any lessons learned from those events, in particular improvements that were recommended to improve 9-1-1 service reliability and survivability. Commenters should address the impact on communications relying on the PSTN- and IP-based communications, as well as fixed and mobile wireless communications.

The Bureau also seeks comment on the most common causes of failure in the 9-1-1 network that result in the following types of 9-1-1 outages:

i) complete isolation of the PSAP;ii) failure to pass ALI and/or ANI;iii) loss of the ability to reroute traffic to an alternate PSAP or administrative lines.

What could be done to reduce the incidence of outages in each category? What actions, if any, should the FCC take to address this problem?

President’s Tech Advisors Want Federal-Commercial Spectrum Sharing

The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) has released a report, Realizing the Full Potential of Government-Held Spectrum to Spur Economic Growth, concluding that the traditional practice of clearing government-held spectrum of Federal users and auctioning it for commercial use is not sustainable. In light of changes made possible by modern technology, PCAST recommends that the President issue a new Memorandum that states it is the policy of the U.S. government to share underutilized spectrum to the maximum extent consistent with the Federal mission, and requires the Secretary of Commerce to identify 1,000 MHz of Federal spectrum in which to implement shared-use spectrum pilot projects.

To make a start on the substantial changes that PCAST proposes, the report recommends formation of an Executive Office of the President Spectrum Management Team (SMT), led by the White House Chief Technology Officer, to work with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on carrying out the President’s Directive. In particular, the SMT should create an accounting and incentive system to promote more effective Federal spectrum use.

PCAST also recommends beginning a pilot program involving spectrum sharing, supported by early release of funds from various sources, with three key elements: immediate sharing by new low-power devices in two existing Federal spectrum bands; formation of a Spectrum Sharing Partnership Steering Committee (SSP) of industry executives ( e.g. CEOs) to advise on a policy framework to maximize commercial success; and creation of an urban Test City and a Mobile Test Service that can support rapid learning in spectrum management technology and practice.AT&T and CTIA — The Wireless Association did not care for this “shared-spectrum” approach. Specifically, CTIA said: "Cleared spectrum and an exclusive-use approach has enabled the U.S. wireless industry to invest hundreds of billions of dollars, deploying world-leading mo-bile broadband networks and resulting in tremendous economic benefits for U.S. consumers and businesses. Not surprisingly, that is the very same approach that has been used by the countries that we compete with in the global marketplace, who have brought hundreds of megahertz of cleared spectrum to market in recent years."

OMB Approves New E911 Requirements, Effective July 25

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved, for a period of three years, the information collection associated with the FCC's Wireless E911 Phase II Location Accuracy Requirements adopted in the Third Report and Order. These rules become effective today, July 25. The PS Docket No. 07-114 Third Report and Order provides that new Commercial Mobile Radio Service (CMRS) providers, meeting the definition of “covered” CMRS providers and deploying networks subsequent to the effective date of the Third Report and Order that are not an expansion or upgrade of an existing CMRS network, must meet the handset-based location accuracy standard from the start. Consequently, the rule requires new CMRS providers launching stand-alone networks (during the eight-year implementation period for handset-based CMRS wireless licensees) to meet the applicable handset-based location accuracy standard in effect at the time of deployment. Therefore, new CMRS providers must comply with the location accuracy requirements for handset-based carriers.

All new CMRS providers, in delivering emergency calls for Enhanced 911 service, must satisfy the handset-based location accuracy standard at either a county-based or Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP)-based geographic level. Thus, in accordance with the new rule, new CMRS providers must meet the following initial benchmark for the specified handset-based location accuracy requirements: two years from January 18, 2011, 50 meters for 67 percent of calls, and 150 meters for 80 percent of calls, on a per-county or per-PSAP basis. Similarly, new CMRS providers may exclude up to 15 percent of the counties or PSAP areas they serve due to heavy forestation that limits handset-based technology accuracy in those counties or areas.

VERIZON WANTS TO DUMP RURAL CUSTOMERS?: According to Phillip Dampier, who writes for several Internet sites, including Competition and Consumer News, Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam recently told a Wall Street investor audience that Verizon’s future earnings and focus should be primarily on the wireless side of the business, because that is where there is serious money to be made. Dampier says that McAdam’s leadership challenges the long-standing telephone company philosophy of earning a stable, predictable profit as Verizon did when it was a regulated monopoly. Instead, McAdam shifted the work culture towards an obsession with shareholder value. Some of the most revealing commentary from McAdam came in response to questions about what Verizon plans to do with its enormous landline phone network, dominant in the northeastern United States, Dampier said. He added that: “In comments sure to alarm rural Verizon customers from Massachusetts to Virginia, McAdam clearly signaled the company is laying the groundwork to abandon its rural phone network (and DSL broadband) as soon as regulators allow. ‘In [...] areas that are more rural and more sparsely populated, we have got [a wireless 4G] LTE built that will handle all of those services and so we are going to cut the copper off there.’ McAdam said,. “We are going to do it over wireless. So I am going to be really shrinking the amount of copper we have out there and then I can focus the investment on that to improve the performance of it.”

FCC ADOPTS ORDER ON ASSESSMENT, COLLECTION OF FY 2012 REGULATORY FEES: The FCC has adopted a Report and Order (R&O) regarding the assessment and collection of $339,844,000 in regulatory fees for Fiscal Year (FY) 2012. In this annual regulatory fee proceeding, the FCC retained many of the current methods, policies, and procedures for collecting in prior years. The FCC expects to collect these fees during a September 2012 filing window. In the R&O, the FCC addresses the following issues:

(1) incorporating 2010 Census data into its broadcast population data,(2) assessing a regulatory fee for each broadcasting facility operating either in an analog or digital mode (but not both) for Low Power, Class A, and TV Translators/Boosters,(3) maintaining the FY 2012 Interstate Telecommunications Service Provider (ITSP) fee rate at the same level as in FY 2011,(4) using an online filing system for the filing of requests for a refund, waiver, fee reduction, or deferment of payment of an application or regulatory fee,(5) maintaining the Commercial Mobile Radio Service (CMRS) Messaging Service at the rate of $.08 per subscriber, and(6) the Commission will continue to promote greater use of technology (and less use of paper) in improving its regulatory fee notification and collection processes.

Source:

BloostonLaw Telecom Update

Vol. 15, No. 29

July 25, 2012

This newsletter is not intended to provide legal advice. Those interested in more information should contact the firm. For additional information, contact Hal Mordkofsky at 202-828-5520 or halmor@bloostonlaw.com

I think my letter in your current newsletter might be a little out of context for the readers. They probably don’t know that I am referring to a recent $100M patent suit filed against RIM. You may wish to clarify this in the next newsletter as readers may not be aware of this new hit to RIM.

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